O.J. Simpson takes appeal to full Nevada Supreme Court
O.J. Simpson asked the full Nevada Supreme Court on Thursday to do what three of its members have already declined to do: overturn his conviction and sentence in a botched Las Vegas hotel room heist.
Las Vegas lawyer Malcolm LaVergne argued in his last-step appeal to the state's highest court that the jury in Simpson's 2008 trial in Las Vegas was not fully screened for bias, that blacks were improperly dismissed from the jury and that kidnapping charges were not proved.
"Simply stated, having an all-white jury sitting in judgment of an African-American who was at the epicenter of the most racially divisive criminal trial of all time during the mid-1990s is simply unacceptable, regardless of Mr. Simpson's notoriety," the 12-page document read.
The appeal was expected after a three-justice panel rejected Simpson's appeal in October. The panel also denied Simpson a rehearing in February. He is currently serving a 9-to-33-year sentence.
